This article proposes connectionism as an alternative to classical cognitivism in understanding design

This article proposes connectionism as an alternative to classical cognitivism in understanding design. The goals of design research are varied, and the sources of its methods of inquiry are diverse, calling on such areas as history, hermeneutics, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and computing. This article proposes connectionism as an alternative to classical cognitivism in understanding design. It also considers the difficulties encountered within a particular view of the role of explanations and typologies. Connectionism provides an alternative model that does not depend on the articulation of explanations and typologies.